The Enigma: Vincent Valentine
by Faye Zepher
Summary: This is a set of events that occur exploring the development of their relationship. Romance would be in later chapters. Yuffientine
1. First Encounter

Disclaimer: I will say this once because everytime I do I die a little inside. I do not own Final Fantasy VII. Owww, just give me a minute. ...One more second...Okay, I'm good.

Well, I'm back after quite the hiatus from authoring. And no, I did not abandon 'Found You', I'm just at a cross roads right now. I'm not sure if I like the way its going and I'm toying with some more ideas to see what I should do with it. Anyway, here I am with a little Yuffentine. It's going to be a series of one-shots exploring how their relationship develops as I see it. If you think I should just leave it as a one-shot then let me know. Enjoy and please review.

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi was crouched behind Cloud Strife, leader of their group, Avalanche, as they decended the steps to the hidden basement. As the two of them reached the landing, accompanied by Tifa Lockheart, they noticed that the room was nearly empty. All that remained of the area was a box, bolted to the floor in the center of the room. Cloud and Tifa walked around the room, searching for anymore hidden additions as Yuffie, the designated thief of the group, went to work on the centerpiece. 

'_Why do I always get stuck with the hard jobs?_' Yuffie thought miserably. Just as she finished her thought, she pried open the lid of the box. It was dark inside and the lighting (or lack there of) of the room did not help. Yuffie bent over to peer into the rancid smelling box, hoping to catch a glimpse of some materia before Cloud spotted and confiscated it.

Suddenly, two eyes peered up and a hand shot up from the bottom of the, now obvious, coffin. Yuffie let out a squeak as she backflipped away from the coffin just in time. All she could say as she climbed the stairs out of the building was, "O MY $#&# GOD!!!!! IT'S A $#&# VAMPIRE!!!!!!!"

And thus Vincent Valentine was first introduced to Yuffie Kisaragi.


	2. Hello Vinnie!

Wow, two chapters in one day. This was actually the first chapter and then I thought that their first true encounter was in Nebilliem. Thus, two chapters. Anyway, please read and review.

'It's_ okay Yuffie. You can do it. He's just a guy we found...in a coffin...sleeping for thirty years. O ya, nothing to worry about._'

Yuffie eyed the alleged vampire warily from her stool. Taking a deep breath, she boldly crossed the floor of the bar that Avalanche's spike-headed leader decided to spend the night in, seating herself next to the tall, pale man who plagued her dreams. She couldn't really explain why she dreamt of him, she just did. Granted, most were nightmares of having her blood being sucked dry, but Yuffie didn't even dream of Cloud. Vincent Valentine was a strange man, and the only way to get over her paranoia was to confront him and see just how dangerous he really was. Besides, she is the Great Ninja Yuffie. If he tries anything funny, she could have him subdued in no time at all.

"So... Vincent, right? How's it goin'? I never _properly_ introduced myself. I am the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisargi! Pleasure to meetcha'!"

Bracing herself for any type of vampire hypnosis, Yuffie eagarly awaited his reply to that statement. After about five minutes of silence, Yuffie was about to say something else when Vincent turned to face her directly. She started slightly, not noticing the beautiful red color of the vamp's eyes before. She couldn't seem to take her eyes away from his as he searched her own, probably looking to see if she was serious or not. After a while he turned back to the bar and said in a monotone voice, "Vincent Valentine."

Yuffie, having been freed from the stare of Vincent, decided that he wasn't a vampire. I mean, not even vampires are this boring. Well, she could fix that. After all, no one can resist Yuffie's charm. And if by some miracle he is immune, she could always annoy him to no end. Either way, Yuffie Kisaragi was on a mission, and a good ninja never gives up.

"Great to finally be properly introduced, Vinnie. So...what were you doin' in a coffin, anyway? It must have been awful. Ya know, Cloud had this crazy idea that you musta' been a vampire or somethin'. Not to worry though, I straightened him out. If you wanna talk, I'm all ears."

The only reaction she saw from him was the obvious flinch at the nickname. Other than that, he simply sat there, leisurely sipping his drink and acting as though she wasn't even there. If there's one thing Yuffie hates more than almost anything, it's being ignored. _O, it's on now! _

"So Vince, not much of a talker are we? That's okay. I get the impression that you're more of a listener anyway, so I'll just do the talkin' for the both of us."

"..."

What is his problem anyway? By this point, Yuffie decided that she didn't fear Vincent anymore. He actually annoyed her. Most people would at least tell her to shut up and go away. At least then she knew they were listening.

"Well Vinnie, as you know I'm a great ninja and have been since I can remember. It all started back when my father, Godo, decided to teach me how to defend myself from those who wished to end the Kisaragi line..."

And Vincent listened patiently as Yuffie continued to speak of all her accomplishments throughout her life. This continued on for a couple of hours and well into the night. The only thing Vincent did was make sure that the drinks Yuffie consumed were all of virgin quality. Of course, Yuffie paused her dictation of her autobiography to argue with Vincent about her drink. Of course such an arguement consisted of Yuffie swearing profusly and Vincent remaining silent but not giving in. In the end, Yuffie stopped when she realized that she wasn't getting a rise out of him and continued with her one-sided conversation. It was close to two o'clock when Yuffie began to tire. The bar would close soon and they would have to retire to their rooms.

"...and after your daring rescue on my part we end our story with us, now, sitting on bar stools and about to be kicked out. So any comments, Vinnie? Hmm? I know you were listening, Vinnie. Come on Vinnie, talk to me. Pleeeaaassseee..."

Vincent turned and for the second time that night stared at her square in the eye. Yuffie waited on the edge of her seat, wanting to hear whatever he had to say. This is what she'd been waiting for all night.

"Please call me by my given name. Goodnight."

And with that, Vincent Valentine rose from his stool and moved to the staircase where he proceeded to ascend to his assigned room, leaving a dumbstruck Yuffie staring after him. After a couple of minutes, the bartender shooed her from her seat and she moved on to her room for the rest of the night.

'_Well then Vinnie, I see we do things the hard way. If you thought I was bad tonight, just you wait,_' she thought mischeiviously to herself as she drifted off to sleep. And this time, her dreams about Vincent were not haunted by vampirism, but instead were filled with thoughts of how to open him up. After all, Yuffie Kisaragi never backs down from a challenge.


	3. Vincent Speaks?

Faye: Hey everyone!! I'm not dead!! Go figure. I'm not gonna try to justify myself in my absence. There is no real excuse. But after much persuasion from one, KitKatKarma, I have continued this story. So go see her and give her things.

Yuffie: Yay! I'm back!! All my beautiful fans, thank you for putting up without me for so long. You like me, you really like me.

Faye: Ya Yuffie, they all love you. It had nothing to do with Vincent. Speaking of which, Vinnie isn't here right now. He was kidnapped by a good friend of mine and I hear he is doing well over there right now. Als--

Yuffie: WHAT?? Vinnie's gone? How will I ever survive without our riveting conversations??

Faye: Like I was saying, I, in turn, borrowed on Keo. Though he is not the same as Vincent, he is quite charming and has helped me to stay focused on my writing. Go ahead Keo. Say something.

Keo: Ummm. Hello everyone. Hi Marka! I hope you're not giving Sujuka too hard a time in my absence.

Faye: Thank you for that Keo. You and Yuffie play nice while I finish up here.

Yuffie: You can call me the Great Ninja Yuffie. So, you go any materia on ya? Come on, let's get out of here and hit the town.

Faye: Well, before I let you go to stop any destruction in the area, let's get the disclaimer out of the way. I do not own Vincent or Yuffie. They belong to Square Enix. Nor do I own Keo, Marka, or Sujuka. They belong to (ultimately) LeoOsaka deviant art. Pay her a visit if you've got the time. Enjoy!

* * *

Yuffie trudged behind the rest of the group with, what she considered a death glare on her face. The object of her glaring: one Vincent Valentine. No one had ever been able to ignore that glare before. And most could feel it burning in their backs. 

Apparently, Vinnie didn't know about her special glare powers. It seemed to have no effect on the stoic gunner. He was very good at masking his fear of her. Maybe if she tried talking to him again he'd tell her something about himself. But what to talk about. She'd pretty much told her whole life story back at the bar. What else could there be…

'_Of course!'_ she thought mischievously. _'Embarrassment always made people talk.' _The tiny ninja quickened her pace so that she was walking side by side with Vincent. Which was a chore in and of its self. Damn his and his long legs.

"So Vinnie, what's new?"

"…"

"Sounds good. Same over here. So… you a virgin?"

"…"

"Ya, that's what I thought. Since I'm a little inexperienced in the area, mind filling me in on the basics of sex?"

"…No."

"Awwww. Why not? I wanna know about sex!!"

"You wanna know about sex, do ya?" came a voice from the other side of Vincent. Yuffie cringed, realizing who had just spoken. "I can tell ya all about that, kid," finished Cid, the look of revenge in his eye.

Yuffie squirmed at her place by Vincent. "That's okay Cid. Actually, I think I hear Tifa calling me." _'Better luck next time, old man,'_ she thought to herself before resuming her place at the back of the group.

But Cid wasn't done with her yet. "What? Only wanna hear it from the vamp? Aww, isn't that cute? The shrimp's got herself a crush. Just make sure he doesn't try to bite ya!"

Yuffie's face felt like it was on fire. "Shut up, old man! Why would I have a crush on him?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she tried pulling them back in. Stupid big mouth. So much for that approach.

Yuffie was so busy thinking up a new approach that she didn't notice Tifa slow her pace. "So Yuffie, why all the interest in Vincent all of a sudden?"

The ninja was so deep in thought; she didn't even bother looking at the martial artist as she automatically replied. "I just wanna know more about him. We don't know anything and he looks like he's keeping a dark secret that's eating away at him. I want to help him work out whatever it is he's holding in."

"So why don't you just ask him?" the older girl asked.

Something inside Yuffie snapped as she looked up at Tifa. "Because he won't talk! He doesn't say anything, to anyone! Except maybe Cloud, but that's only during battle or missions. He never has any type of expression on his face either. He's always walking around silently with the same look all the time. Is he ever happy? Sad? Angry? Anything? You have no idea how frustrating it is trying to be his friend!"

Tifa was taken aback by the girl's outburst. She had never seen the Wutainese girl this tightly wound. "Yuffs, do you like Vincent?"

The question was innocent enough, but to the emotional teen, it seemed like an accusation. "What? Of course not! Why the $# would I have a crush on him? Besides, he is soo not my type. All moody and angsty and what not. And besides, I prefer blue eyes on my men." _'Though his ruby eyes are actually really nice to look at,'_ the little ninja thought as she recalled her encounter with the alleged vamp at the bar the previous night. What was she thinking? Him? Ya, he was good looking… and tall… and mysterious… Yuffie shook her head to get rid of such treacherous thoughts. _'Blond hair, blue eyes,'_ she repeated to herself over and over again.

Of course, Tifa didn't miss the blush across Yuffie's face. The older girl smiled knowingly and left it at that.

It had grown dark and Cloud, being the leader and all, decided to make camp in the forest. Yuffie still hadn't gotten over the happenings of the day. Why _was_ she thinking about Vincent so much? I didn't add up in her ninja mind. Suddenly she realized something. Who cared about the why? She still had to get him to talk to her. After all, she told herself she would and a ninja never backs down.

Since talking to him didn't seem to work, the young princess decided that ignoring him would make him crack. After camp was set up, she promptly walked over to the log Vincent sat upon and took a seat herself on the other end.

Vincent looked at her, probably expecting her to start ranting again. When she remained silent and focused on something in the other direction, the gunner turned back to the fire, intent on watching the flames lick at the night sky.

After about five minutes, Yuffie thought she was going to burst. She had never been so silent for so long her entire life. She whipped around to look at Vincent, hoping he would notice the action and ask her what was wrong. However, all thoughts of speech flew from her mind as she viewed the scene before her.

There sat Vincent Valentine, known coffin resident and assumed vampire, looking more beautiful than anything the young girl had ever seen. The blaze he was facing cast unique shadows across his sharp features. The glow of the fire catching in his hair, making his long, onyx locks appear to glow with an ethereal presence. And his eyes looked as if they could burn through her soul more than any type of inferno could. They seemed to radiate the sorrow and anguish he hid from everyone, while at the same time, promising to protect those he held dear to him.

Wait a minute. She should be able to see his eyes. _'Uh oh,'_ she thought as she realized she had been staring at him for quite sometime, and had been caught in the act. She turned her head slightly to hide the light blush that was appearing on her face. "S-so, uhh… I wanted to ask you something but you looked so deep in thought, I didn't want to disturb you." _'That and you looked downright sexy,'_ she added to herself. Wait a minute, since when—

"What did you need to know?" Vincent asked, affectively breaking the ninja from her thought pattern.

Shit. What did she want to ask him? May as well go with the truth. Well, here goes everything. "Well, since I've been so forthcoming with my past, I thought I'd be nice if you shared something. You know, since we're gonna be working with each other for a while now."

She cringed, waiting for him to yell that it wasn't any of her business and storm off. Instead, she heard a deep sigh. Looking up at him, she realized he was struggling with something. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Really. I'm fine." What if he really was a vampire and was deciding if he should get rid of her now before she uncovered the truth. _'Another fine mess you've gotten yourself into Kisaragi.'_

Vincent looked down at his claw, clenching it as he began. "I am a monster. I have done horrible things in my past that I am neither proud of nor can I justify. I failed to protect the one I love, and she has suffered immensely for my failure. I must repent for my many sins and avenge my love by destroying the one who drove her to despair and, ultimately, her demise. When this is done, I can finally resume my rest for all eternity, beside her in the lifestream, if she would still have me."

Yuffie's jaw was wide open. Not at the fact that Vincent had said so much (that in and of its self made my jaw drop), but at the fact that he had just admitted her biggest fear. He _was_ a vampire. She missed his whole 'bearing-his-soul-to-her-thing' completely. Needless to say, she really didn't think about what she said next.

"O. MY. GAWD. I knew you were a vampire!! You better not try to bite me or I'll have Cloud beat you up!"

Vincent grimaced slightly in annoyance. _'Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. I knew I could get on his nerves,'_ Yuffie thought to herself devilishly. _'He'll probably have some retort to make too. Well, Mister Vampire, I'm not done with you yet.'_

She turned her head to the side and continued her tirade. "You better not try to come at me in my sleep either. I'll warn you now; the Great Ninja Yuffie never lets her guard down. Follow that one rule, and we'll get along real good."

She looked up at him to see what he thought of her proposal, only to find that he had lowered his head to hers and locked on to her gaze. If she wasn't sitting at that moment, she would have probably collapsed.

"I am not a vampire, but I am a monster. For your own safety, it would be best if you kept your distance. I won't burden you with my presence any longer."

That said, Vincent got up from his seat and turned his back on the girl, effectively pulling her out of the trance his eyes had seemed to pull her under. _'Way to go Yuffie, make the guy feel like even more of an outcast.'_

She suddenly remembered how close he was to her and how his eyes seemed to pierce through her. She blushed lightly to herself and recalled everything he had said to her previously. He had a girl. By the way he talked about her, she sounded dead. But he said _love_ instead of _loved_. _'O well,'_ she thought, _'better to not dwell on that right now. He's really not such a bad guy after all. A little dramatic, but who wouldn't be after coming out of a coffin 30 years in the future. Right! New mission! Make Vinnie accept who he is and make him my friend. How much of a monster could he be anyway? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. Yuffie, you are such a genius.'_

That being thought through, Yuffie walked off to bed, plotting how to get Vinnie to like her. But first things first. She'd have to find a way of apologizing to him.

Shit.

* * *

Faye: And there you have it. Chapter 3.

Yuffie: Why are you always picking on me? Huh?

Faye: Nothing personal Yuffs. Though I will tell you, it won't always be you on the receiving end of the torture.

Yuffie: I like the way you think.

Faye: By the way, where's Keo?

Yuffie: O, well... funny you should ask that...

Faye: ...Yuffie.

Yuffie: Wow. That's a really good Vinnie impression.

Faye: YUFFIE!

Yuffie: Aww, don't worry. I left the shrimp in a weapon store. How much trouble could he cause?

Faye: O.o I don't know. How much trouble do you think a weapon's master can cause?

Yuffie: Damn.

Faye: Ya think? Err, anyway. Thank you everyone for reading. Tell me what you think by hitting the little review button. Or, you know. You could just yell at me. I'm good with either. But for now, I gotta go and find a certain red-head and stop him from doing anything reckless. Let's go Yuffie. And you may want to bring your Conformer for this one.

Yuffie: Double damn.


	4. I'm Sorry

Faye: The story lives!! All this writing has really done me good. Totally dedicated to KitKatKarma for helping me with research. I'm on such a roll.

Yuffie: Ya, until the next time you decide to disappear and leave me in an awkward situation again. You ever try apologizing to Vinnie? Not an easy thing, mind you.

Faye: Shhh! Don't ruin the story, Yuffs. And besides, disarming a weapons master who is armed to the teeth is no picnic either, thank you very much.

Yuffie: Eh heh. Ya, sorry about that. But hey, think of all the experience we got!

Faye: Speaking of experience, what did you do with Keo now?

Yuffie: O, he's safe. I made sure to tie him to a chair this time.

Faye: Yuffie! You don't need to do that. Just don't put him in a bad situation.

Yuffie: So I shouldn't have left him with a crazed fan-boy?

Faye: …Yuffie.

Yuffie: Right! I'll just be going now. (Ninja poofs)

Faye: (sigh) I don't own anything. At least nothing of importance.

Yuffie: (off stage) Hey! Don't stick that there! Bad fan-boy! Don't make me ninja kill you.

Faye: Leo's gonna kill me.

* * *

The group of heroes was passing the very close to the border of Wutai. Obviously, Cloud wanted to stop in and shop around, like he did at EVERY town the group came across. If there was a weapons shop, he was there.

Yuffie was starting to get a little nervous. She really didn't want to go home. She knew what her father expected from her and what he would do if she disobeyed. Not only did she have to worry about Godo, but she still hadn't dealt with the Vinnie situation yet. He was walking at the front of the group with Cloud, always willing to be the first one in a fight. He seemed determined to either defeat all the monsters he ever came across or die in the process. He couldn't die yet, at least, not until she apologized to him. His face that night he spoke with her was burned in her mind and she dreamt of it every other night. Her other dreams were filled with how his face looked while it stared into the blaze of that evening.

'_Why can't I just get him out of my head!'_ thought the ninja.

"You should say you're sorry."

Yuffie jumped out of her skin. "Aeris don't do that! I could have ninja-ed you to death just now!" Then she thought about what the Ancient said. _'&$# did I say that out loud?'_

"You fought with Vincent, didn't you? He's been especially evasive lately and Tifa told me that you were trying to find out more about him. Did you cross a line?"

"You could say that," the Wutainese girl sighed. "Wait a minute. What has Tifa been saying about me?"

"O, nothing," came the quick reply. That innocent face was just too deceptive. "But you really should apologize. Vincent's not the type of person to let things go, at least, that's the impression I get from him."

"Easier said than done. He doesn't talk. And when he does, I can barely understand two words that come out of his mouth."

"Well, if you really want to be his friend, you won't give up. I found that persistence gets you far."

That being said, Aeris jogged ahead and started walking beside Cloud, talking animatedly with the blonde. _'She's right,'_ thought the young ninja. _'Looks like I have to suck it up and apologize straight away. Hopefully before we get to Wutai.'_

She looked around nervously, beginning to recognize landmarks that led the way to her home town. Taking a deep breath, Yuffie quickened her pace until she was walking right behind the gunman.

"Vincent, I-"

As soon as she started speaking Vincent quickened his pace and engaged in battle with a random monster. _'He's not gonna make this easy for me, is he?'_

Yuffie decided that the best way to make him listen would be to use her incredible ninja skills on him. While he was pre-occupied with his battle, Yuffie shimmied up a tree and waited as the formerly assumed vampire collected the Gil and random potion. That was one thing she always wondered about. Why did monsters carry around potions with them? It's not like she had ever seen one use it to heal an injury. An even better question would be how they carried the potions themselves. It's not like they had pockets or any-

In the middle of her thought, she realized what she was doing and that she was being left behind by the group. Mentally beating herself with her awesome ninja skills, Yuffie jumped from tree to tree until she was directly above Vincent.

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. He would listen to her one way or another.

"Hey Vincent!" Yuffie shouted as she leapt out of the tree. "I wanted to say sor-"

Vincent side-stepped the kamikaze ninja right before she could latch onto him. Instead, she went flying straight into Barret.

"Shit, brat! What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm not a trampoline!"

"I know that! I was just trying to…" She stopped herself from saying it. She didn't want the others to know about her fight with Vinnie. They'd just say she was crushing on him which was sooo not the case!

"Trying to what? Give me a heart attack?"

"To… uhhh… test your reflexes? Ya, that's it! Monsters lurk everywhere around here. You've gotta be ready at a moment's notice." Vincent obvious had good reflexes. Or maybe she shouldn't use a battle cry during sneak attacks. Meh, she'd just have to come up with something else.

Yuffie walked quietly behind Cloud and Aeris as she thought of another plan. Suddenly, Tifa walked up to Vincent. "I was wondering, I noticed that your eyes are shaped like Yuffie's. Are you Wutainese too?"

Yuffie was struck dumb. Why hadn't she noticed that before now? _Probably because you were staring into his eyes instead of at them._ Ya, that must have been it. She eagerly awaited his answer, finding herself wanting to hear even the slightest murmur from his deep, beautiful voice. Ya, she wasn't crushing at all.

Vincent turned to Tifa and paused before addressing her question. "…I used to be… a long time ago." With that he turned and proceeded to walk ahead of the group.

Tifa began walking to the other side of Cloud and whispered to Yuffie as she passed. "I don't know how you can stand that. You have the weirdest taste in men."

Luckily, she had already walked away and didn't notice the red spring up to the excitable ninja's face. _'Damn! Why does my face keep doing this?'_ She looked up to see the red cloak well ahead of the group and showing no signs of stopping. _'Looks like I'm not gonna be able to stop him now. I guess I'll have to wait until we get to Wutai.'_

She continued along with the group, her head bowed in thought. Just how was she going to get him to listen to her?

**Outside the gate to Wutai:**

She knew she would have to do it. Her father trusted her with this task and she was not to let him down. She mentally apologized to everyone as they moved to the entrance of the gate.

Before she could even think of materia, however, two vicious looking monsters popped up out of no where and attacked the group. _'Perfect distraction,'_ she thought to herself. She got into a fighting stance and began to battle.

Somehow, in all the commotion, Yuffie ended up fighting one of the monsters side by side with the man who plagued her dreams. _'Now or never,'_ she thought to herself.

"Vincent, we need to talk."

The gunman gave her a startled look before returning his face to its normal stoic. "Now is not the best time, Yuffie."

Leviathan, did she ever love the way her name came out of his mouth. But she couldn't think of that now. "Yes it is! If you don't pay attention, we could all die. Besides, you've been avoiding me."

"…"

Taking his silence as permission to proceed, Yuffie began her apology, all the while trying to dodge random thrusts of claws and teeth. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about you. I case you haven't noticed, my mouth tends to run on overdrive while my mind is on stand-by. After you left, I thought about everything you said and feel horrible about it. I really want to be your friend and I trust you. But I don't expect you to trust me. Not yet and probably not for a while. But for now, I'd like to at least be on good speaking terms with you. Even if I am the only one doing the talking. So, do you forgive me?"

Yuffie stopped moving and turned to the gunslinger with pleading eyes. He stared directly at her, once again searching her soul with his crimson eyes. They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity until something protruding from Yuffie's side brought them both back to reality. _'Perfect timing,'_ Yuffie thought to herself._ 'Looks like I gotta do this sooner than I was hoping.'_ She turned into the beast and readied her limit break. _'Sorry Vinnie.'_

"Clear Tranquil!"

Vincent had been running towards her when she activated the limit. It only lasted a short time, so she knew she had to move. As quickly and efficiently as any ninja before her, Yuffie stole the materia from her comrades while they all felt the healing effects of her limit.

"Sorry everyone," she muttered as she took off into the city. She hoped they would all forgive her if they ever saw her again. _'If they don't slice and dice ya first,'_ she thought. If they only knew why she was doing this… But it didn't matter. She'd never see them again, never see Vinnie again, never know if he forgave her.

* * *

Faye: Mwahahaha. Evil cliffie of doom!!!!

Keo: You know it's not much of a cliffie for those who have played the game.

Faye: Maybe not the events, but the dialogue. Do you think Vince would forgive her that easily?

Yuffie: Standing right here.

Keo: You have a point. It could go either way. Though if the last few months have been any indication, my guess is no.

Yuffie: Hey! I untied you! You could be a little nicer.

Faye: She has her good points…

Yuffie: Thank you.

Faye: …though they are few and far between.

Yuffie: You guys are horrible. I miss Vinnie.

Faye: Well, you all know what to do. Let me know what you think. I'm hoping to get chapter 5 done tonight or tomorrow.

Keo: All feedback is appreciated.

Faye: Depending on my mood, I'll see how long I wait to post the next chapter. So make me happy!!


	5. Forgive Me?

Yuffie: Keo, do you know where Faye is?

Keo: Last I checked, she was still typing away on her laptop. She's like a machine.

Faye: (walks out on stage) Hey guys! What's going on?

Yuffie: O, I don't know… Maybe introducing the next chapter!

Faye: Eh heh. Sorry 'bout that. I've been a little crazy lately.

Yuffie: You think??

Faye: Alright, already. I'm sorry, okay? But now that I've successfully updated two chapters of this story and two independent one-shots that coincide with this story, I need to concentrate on my other fics.

Yuffie: Waahhh?! You're leaving us?

Keo: Not us, you. I'm just along for the ride.

Yuffie: Shut up you!

Faye: Sorry, Yuffs. But I do have other fandoms that need my attention. Now, I need a disclaimer…

Yuffie: No way! That just means you're closer to abandoning me!

Keo: (clears throat) Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix and I belong to Leo Osaka… or Marka, depending on who you ask…

Yuffie: (holds Conformer to Keo's throat) Don't even think about finishing that disclaimer.

Faye: Yuffie! Don't do it! You'll…

Keo: (easily disarms Yuffie and sends her flying) Faye is making no money off of this.

Faye: …just get beat.

Yuffie: (off stage) Weapons Master. Right. Got it.

Keo: (bright smile on his face and Conformer behind is back) Enjoy!

* * *

From Yuffie's perk on the roof of her neighbor's house, she could see the end of the battle. Apparently, the group didn't have much time to ponder her disappearance until after the battle was won. Then they realized their absence of materia. She felt horrible, she really did, but she didn't have a choice in the situation. It was her responsibility to gather all the different kinds of materia in the world and master it. Nothing personal.

The ninja watched Vincent closely. He appeared as he always did, stoic and silent. But something was off. He was more attentive, looking around him carefully, as if he could sense the direction she had escaped in. He suddenly looked up in Yuffie's direction and the ninja was so taken aback that she almost fell of the roof. He shouldn't be able to see her, but one never knew with this man who was so mysterious.

Deciding that she had lingered long enough, Yuffie made her way through the village, waving at the people she met as they all gave a small bow to her. Being the heir to the throne had its perks. Like the free meals she would get from villagers when she only wanted to stay for a short while without her father knowing. She'd never forget these people and had a deep trust with them.

Trust. She'd pretty much blown her chances at that with her friends. _'Former friends,'_ she reminded herself. She started wandering around the alleys, not really paying attention to where she was going. She didn't really care, either. Never before had the young woman been so conflicted over stealing materia. She'd never cared for people that much either… not since her mother's passing.

It still bothered her, but she wouldn't let anyone know. She always had a happy face and overactive personality. Sometimes, she would even fool herself. _'He and I really aren't that different from each other deep down,'_ she thought. They both developed methods of avoiding their pain. It just happened that the methods were completely opposite from each other.

Yuffie was so deep in thought that her ninja sense was on stand by. So it wasn't a surprise that she felt the presence of the man too late as she was gagged with a rag. She wasn't surprised that it was drugged. One thought ran through her head as she fell into darkness.

'_Shit.'_

**Some Time Later:**

"Huh… Wha… Where am I?" Yuffie slurred, recovering from the drug. She looked next to her and saw another girl hanging down, apparently still knocked out. Wait, hanging down?

Taking in her surroundings, Yuffie let out a great gasp. She was hanging from Da-chao, the great stone statues of Wutai. How she got here was one question running through her mind. The other was how the heck she was gonna get down. It's not like she had any friends who would come running to her rescue. _'Way to make a bad situation worse.'_

The ninja noticed the other woman moving next to her, snapping out of her drug-induced sleep. "Hey you. You're one of those Turks, right?"

"Y-Ya," the woman replied, obviously shaken after realizing that her life hung in the balance (no pun intended). "Elena."

"The Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi. So, uh, any idea who did this?"

"Not a clue. But I have a feeling we're about to find out."

Walking down the arm of a statue came a short, fat man. Just from Tifa and Aeris' descriptions she knew who this man was.

"Don Corneo!" the two girls shouted.

"I see I'm well known to the ladies, eh?" Corneo replied. He looked at the two exposed girls lecherously, rubbing his hands together.

"I think I've picked up her scent," came a voice from around the bend. That was definitely Red. "Lead the way," replied a deep, mellow voice which could only have belonged to Vincent.

'_What are they doing here?! I can't even look at them,'_ she thought. _'Well, I'll take all the help I can get.'_

"LET ME GO!" she shouted with all her might. That would lead them in the right direction.

As the others turned the corner, Corneo became rather excited. "Hmm! Delicious... scrumptious!" he shouted, leering at the girls. "I think I've just found a new hobby! Which shall it be? Hmm... Hmm... Should I go... with her?" he questioned, pointing at Elena.

"H... hey, I'm one of the Turks! Don't think you can get away with this!" Elena stuttered, obviously nervous and unsure of how she was going to get out of the situation.

Corneo danced to the other end. "Or maybe… her?"

Yuffie cringed as he pointed at her. "Oh GAWD! If I knew this was gonna happen, I would've taken rope lessons more seriously!" she shouted. _'What is taking so long?'_

After a short time, Corneo exclaimed, "Hmm… I've made my choice! My companion for the night will be... this one!"

Yuffie squirmed as his stubby finger pointed at her. "GROSS-NESS! Don't mess with me old man! You don't even have any materia!" she shouted. The group was finally making their way down to her. But where was Vincent? She was sure she had heard his voice.

Corneo began jumping up and down, surprisingly not falling off the statue. "She's saucy too. I'm gonna have fun with this one."

"All right! That's it!" shouted Cloud.

Yuffie was so relieved that someone decided to help her, even if it probably was only to get their materia back. But she couldn't figure out where Vincent was.

The others were beating Corneo's goons to a pulp. She was almost free. Then it happened. The two girls were hanging completely upside down from their former positions. _'Help please. Someone, help me!'_ she thought desperately.

Suddenly, the other two Turks showed up and knocked Corneo off the statue. They came to the rescue of Elena who seemed a little embarrassed to be saved by the bald Turk named Rude. But who would risk their life to save the little thief who stole all their materia?

Everything went dark and Yuffie thought that she had finally passed out from all the blood rushing to her head. However, when she felt herself being removed from the wall and put right side up again, she knew that she would be okay. But who-

The small ninja looked up at the face of her savior. Her violet eyes met dark blue. Red hair hung down from where it was tied behind the man's head. The Turk known as Reno smirked down at her as she gave him a confused look. She had expected Vincent, she had hoped for Vincent. Apparently Vinnie still hadn't forgiven her. She really couldn't blame him. At least he had helped in finding her.

"Hey there, kid," said the cocky red-head. "Don't I get a 'thanks' for saving your life and all?"

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she owed him at least that much. "Ya thanks for the help."

"No problem, brat," he grinned. "Call me in a few years."

"Keep dreaming, Turkey!

The arrogant man chuckled to himself as he joined his companions.

The Turks went on their way, mumbling about having a day off. Avalanche returned to the village in silence. Along the way, Vincent appeared seemingly out of no where and just mingled with the group, not saying a word to announce his presence. Not that anyone expected him to.

They walked down to Yuffie's old house. When everyone was situated, Yuffie began begging for forgiveness and explaining her situation. After plenty of rude comments from Cid and Barret and a lecture from Cloud, Yuffie returned all the materia back to its proper owner. Yuffie was equipping Vincent's rifle with his materia as everyone filed out of the house until it was only the ninja and gunslinger left.

Vincent took the gun from her and made sure everything was in proper order. As he turned to leave, he stopped in the doorway. "I forgive you."

Yuffie did a double-take. "Come again?" No one had forgiven her yet. They probably wouldn't for a long time coming either.

"And… apology accepted." Vincent turned and gave her a small, sad smile before he walked out the door. Yuffie was in shock. _'What the heck just happened?'_

She walked out of the house in a sort of daze, unaware of her surroundings. "Better watch where you're going, brat," Cid called to her, "No wonder you were caught so easily before.

"Shut up, old man! At least someone wanted to capture me," she replied. Everyone stared at the little ninja as she made her way to the center of the group. "So, what are we waiting for?" She looked at Vincent, if only to see a glimpse of the kindness he showed earlier, but his face was the same as always.

"You heard the girl. Let's mosey!" exclaimed Cloud, enticing a group groan before everyone started on their way. Vincent gave her a glance before turning and walking slowly behind the rest of the group. Yuffie caught up to him easily and walked with him in a comfortable silence, which lasted all of three minutes.

"So…" began Yuffie nervously. "What happened to you? On the statue, I mean." She looked up ay him earnestly, hoping he would answer her.

Vincent didn't say anything for a while and Yuffie was losing hope that he would ever open up to her, when he sighed. He usually did that before he spoke, hence why the ninja perked her head up to hear him more clearly.

The gunman spoke to air, facing forward the entire time. "…I provided the Turks with their trap. …I was standing on the Da-chao's head the entire time… in case something went wrong."

Yuffie was thrilled that he answered her, and she was sure her eyes were showing it. So she also continued looking forward, knowing that he could easily read her face. _'If not my mind,'_ she thought. "I knew I had heard your voice."

Yuffie suddenly stopped walking and stared up at Vincent. When he noticed she had stopped, he turned to look at her, the question being asked on his face. She made sure to stare into his eyes so that he would see all of her emotion and everything she meant to say. "Thanks, Vinnie."

Vincent stared at her for a while before lifting his face from inside his cloak so that she could hear his answer unmuffled. "…You are… welcome." He turned back around and was about to take a step when he spoke again. "And my name is Vincent."

Yuffie had a smile from ear to ear as she caught up to her tall companion. She walked beside him in relaxed silence once again, this time because she was too busy plotting to talk to anyone.

'_Mission accomplished,'_ thought the energetic girl. _'Initiate phase two. Get him to trust me enough to be able to talk freely with me. Should be no problem for the Great Ninja Yuffie!'_

…Ya right.

* * *

Faye: So… much… character… development…

Yuffie: Stop being so over dramatic. Some of that was straight out of the game.

Faye: I was going for some sort of authentic feel. Give me a break!

Yuffie: Why should I? You're leaving me remember? (sniffles)

Faye: Aww, Yuffie. I'll be back. Think of how some of my other fandoms are feeling.

**Over at the ToS Fandom:**

Sheena: Wow. Faye's been gone for over a year now. You think she's okay?

Zelos: Ya, she's fine. I've been dreading the next chapter anyway. You'll be able to hit me then. And we left off on such a nice note.

Sheena: Keep dreaming.

Keo: Hello. You must be one of the other fandoms.

Sheena: Yes, we're the Tales of Symphonia fandom. You must be Keo.

Keo: (taken slightly aback) Yes, but how did you know that?

Sheena: Heh heh. Sheena Fujibayashi, Summoner and ninja of Mizuho. Pleasure to meet you. And this is…

Zelos: (pushes himself in front of Keo) Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe'alla. At your service, hunny. You have such nice skin and…

Keo: (deadpanned) I'm a man.

Zelos: Hisssssss. It burns!

**Back to FFVII Fandom:**

Yuffie: O ya. I'm sure they're missing you. So what ever happened to that project that's due?

Faye: Project?

Yuffie: Ya, and you're two midterms.

Faye: …

Yuffie: Riiiigggghhhhhhht. Please leave a review letting Faye know how she did. It looks like she'll be busy for the next week or two.

Faye: …I am soo screwed.


End file.
